The invention relates to glass-ceramics based on the lithium disilicate system which can be mechanically machined easily in an intermediate step of crystallisation and, after complete crystallisation, represent a very strong, highly-translucent and chemically-stable glass-ceramic. Likewise, the invention relates to a method for the production of these glass-ceramics. The glass-ceramics according to the invention are used as dental material.
Lithium disilicate glass-ceramics are well known from the literature and several patents are based on this glass-ceramic system. Thus, for example, self-glazed lithium disilicate glass-ceramic objects for the production of tableware are described in EP-B-536 479, in EP-B-536 572 lithium disilicate glass-ceramics which can be used, by scattering fine-particle coloured glass on the surface thereof, as lining elements for building purposes.
The main focus of patented lithium disilicate glass-ceramics is on dental applications. This is due to the fact that the crystallisation of lithium disilicate crystals is effected via a phase of lesser strength (lithium metasilicate) and the material system is consequently amenable inter alia to chair-side methods (see S. D. Stookey: “Chemical Machining of Photosensitive Glass”, Ind. Eng. Chem., 45, pp. 115-118 (1993) and S. D. Stookey: “Photosensitively Opacifiable Glass” U.S. Pat. No. 2,684,911 (1954)). Investigations by Borom, e.g. M. P. Borom, A. M. Turkalo, R. H. Doremus: “Strength and Microstructure in Lithium Disilicate Glass-Ceramics”, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 58, No. 9-10, pp. 385-391 (1975) and M. P. Borom, A. M. Turkalo, R. H. Doremus: “Verfahren zum Herstellen von Glaskeramiken” (Method for the production of glass-ceramics), DE-A-24 51 121 (1974) show that glass-ceramics which comprise lithium metasilicate as main phase have reduced strength in comparison with glass-ceramics which comprise lithium disilicate as single crystalline phase.
This principle was used in order firstly to produce a glass-ceramic, in a two-step crystallisation process, which can be machined well mechanically, e.g. by means of CAD/CAM methods, and to process this subsequently in a second crystallisation step to form dental glass-ceramic. This method is suitable for being able to use dental restorations according to the so-called chair-side method. In the case of this method, an individually adapted crown/onlay/inlay is milled out of a glass-ceramic block after the first crystallisation step by means of CAD/CAM in the dentist's surgery, this is subjected to the second crystallisation step in a special oven and used directly in the first and only dental appointment for the patient (DE 10 2005 028 637).
In addition, in WO-A-95/32678 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,981, lithium disilicate glass-ceramics were described, which can be processed to form shaped dental products by means of hot-pressing by using a special compressible crucible. Furthermore, there are known, from DE-C-14 21 886, glass-ceramics based on SiO2 and Li2O which contain large quantities of physiologically very questionable arsenic oxide. Also in U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,634 and in FR-A-2 655 264, lithium disilicate glass-ceramics which are suitable for the production of dental crowns and bridges are disclosed.
All known lithium disilicate glass-ceramics display inadequacies in the processing thereof to shaped products and/or in mechanical or visual properties and/or in chemical stability. In particular when used in the dental field, equally high requirements for all the mentioned properties must be fulfilled.